INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

UNAIDS

Hilary Benn: I am announcing today a new commitment of £36 million over four years (2004–07) for UNAIDS (the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS). This will support the UNAIDS Secretariat, its Country Coordinators, and the 10 "co-sponsor" agencies that together make up the Joint Programme 1 . The new commitment represents a tripling of our core funding to UNAIDS compared with the past four years. DFID is finalising a new UK strategic partnership with UNAIDS to accompany the multi-year financing arrangement, linked to UNAIDS' own work programme. DFID is also increasing its direct funding to several co-sponsor agencies including the UN Population Fund (UNFPA).
	UK funding will enable UNAIDS to expand its work to ensure developing countries affected by HIV and AIDS can access appropriate and coordinated support from donors. UNAIDS will be working with Governments to take forward the "Three Ones" initiative, which stresses the responsibility donors have to work through one National HIV and AIDS Action Plan, through one co-ordinating authority and to work to one monitoring and evaluation framework in each country.
	UK funding will also support UNAIDS' advocacy work. This includes helping to ensure new or neglected issues are taken up, and building partnerships across Government, the private sector and civil society. UNAIDS will be working with the World Health Organisation and others to ensure that treatment programmes address equity and access issues and that a proper balance is maintained between prevention and treatment. UK funding will also support UNAIDS' technical work, including helping countries access new funding and ensuring it is used properly. UNAIDS has a strong track record in this area.
	1 The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the UN Education and Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the World Health Organisation (WHO), the World Bank, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Sexual and Reproductive Health

Hilary Benn: I am today publishing a DFID position paper on sexual and reproductive health and rights. It describes progress to date and sets out what remains to be done. It will form the basis for planning future investment and activities. The paper complements the UK's call for action on HIV/AIDS and DFID's target strategy papers on "Better Health for Poor People" and "Realising Human Rights for Poor People".
	The paper recognises sexual and reproductive health and rights as central to human development and to achieving the millennium development goals. The UK is firmly committed to the programme of action of the international conference on population and development of 1994 and its targets of reproductive health for all by 2015. The paper states our continued commitment to work with country Governments and partners to achieve improved maternal and newborn health, accessible, high quality family planning choices, elimination of unsafe abortion, reduced incidence of HIV and sexually transmitted infections, greater awareness of sexual health and reduced risky behaviour.
	The paper recognises the progress that has been made since 1994, but also highlights new challenges, including the increased burden of HIV and AIDS. DFID will use opportunities to integrate HIV and sexual and reproductive health services in ways that respond better to people's needs, especially those of women and young people.
	I am placing a copy of the paper in the Library of the House. It is also available on DFID's website at www.dfid.gov.uk
	Today I am announcing increased funding for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The UK will be providing £80 million over four years (2004–07) in core funding to UNFPA to support its work on sexual and reproductive health and rights, population and development and gender. UNFPA's work is also a critical part of HIV/AIDS prevention efforts within the framework of the joint UN programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Beacon Councils

Nick Raynsford: We are launching round six of the beacon council scheme on Wednesday 7 July with the publication of the application brochure setting out instructions on how to apply, the detailed criteria that will be used to assess applications, and what being a beacon will mean. Copies of the brochure will be made available in the Libraries of both Houses.
	The beacon council scheme provides a remarkably popular and successful way of both celebrating and promoting best practice in local government. In the first five rounds of the scheme, 231 beacon awards have been made in 49 service themes. Learning exchanges, where authorities can both disseminate their good practice and learn from the excellence of others, have now been attended by nearly all authorities. These events have helped and will continue to help raise the level of service provision by local government to the people of this country.
	We are inviting all authorities (other than those rated "poor" under the CPA) that believe they have achieved excellence in one or more of this year's beacon themes to apply for beacon status. This round's themes for which we are now inviting applications are:
	Affordable Housing
	Asset Management
	Effective Environmental Health
	Getting Closer to Communities
	Healthy Communities
	Integrated Children's Services
	Promoting Racial Equality
	Supporting Carers
	Supporting New Businesses
	Sustainable Energy
	Applications are invited by 9 September 2004. Beacon authorities will be announced in April 2005 and hold beacon status until the end of June 2006.

Ordnance Survey

Yvette Cooper: Following Ministerial approval of the business plan, key performance targets have been agreed for Ordnance Survey in 2004–05.
	Ordnance Survey will report externally against a set of agency performance monitors (APMs), as required of all executives agencies in Government, as follows:
	To achieve an operating profit before interest and dividends of £1.8 million for the financial year 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005.
	To achieve an efficiency gain in data collection activity averaging 5.5 per cent. per annum over the period April 2003 to March 2006.
	Some 99.6 per cent. significant real world features are represented in the database within six months of completion.
	To continuously improve the timeliness of the supply of data to customers with a success rate of not lower than 95 per cent.
	To achieve a 5 per cent. increase in business with customers transacted by e-channels.
	To reduce carbon emissions from Ordnance Survey Headquarters by 26 per cent. against the base year of 2000–01.
	These targets reflect Ordnance Survey's continuing commitment to customers, improved value for money for all of its stakeholders and commitment to Government policies.

Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre

Yvette Cooper: Following ministerial approval of the business plan, key performance targets have been agreed for the Queen Elizabeth II Conference centre for the period 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005.
	The agency's principal financial target for 2004–05 is to achieve a minimum dividend payment to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister of £1,000,000.
	An operational target has been set to achieve combined room occupancy of 470 days in the three key conference areas within the centre.
	The agency also has the following quality of service targets:
	Overall score for value for money satisfaction of 90+ per cent.
	The number of complaints received to be less than two per 100 events.
	An average response time when answering complaints of less than four working days.

TREASURY

Public Expenditure

Paul Boateng: The Treasury will publish the 2003–04 "Public Expenditure Provisional Outturn" White Paper on Tuesday 20 July.
	The White Paper is an annual report to Parliament on the provisional outturn for public expenditure. It focuses on spending within Departmental expenditure limits (DEL) and annually managed expenditure (AME), including information on individual supply estimates and administration costs limits.
	The outturn figures are described as provisional because they may be revised when Department's final accounts are published, usually in the autumn.
	A copy of the White Paper will be available in the Libraries of the House and will be accessible on the Treasury website.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Iraq (Export Licence Applications)

Bill Rammell: Following consultation with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence, the Department of Trade and Industry recently approved two licences to export military list goods to Iraq. The arms embargo against Iraq remains in place under United Nations Security Council resolutions 1483 (22 May 2003) and 1546 (8 June 2004). UNSCR 1483 (2003) includes an exception for "arms and related materiel required by the (coalition provisional) authority to serve the purposes of this and other related resolutions".
	Accordingly, prior to the hand over of power on 28 June and the coalition provisional authority ceasing to exist, Her Majesty's Government considered it appropriate to grant licences for the export of the military listed goods on these two applications for use by private security companies, one working under contract to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the other working under contract to the coalition provisional authority, the US Department of State and the project management office in Iraq. The licences are consistent with the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria. Future applications continue to be assessed on a case by case basis against the UN embargo and consolidated criteria, taking into account the circumstances prevailing at the time.

International Court of Justice

Bill Rammell: The Government have amended the United Kingdom's declaration accepting the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice under article 36(2) of the statute of the court. A copy of the revised declaration, set out in a letter dated 5 July 2004 to the United Nations Secretary-General, has been placed in the Library of the House.
	The revised declaration makes two main changes to the former declaration dated 1 January 1969. The first updates from 24 October 1945 to 1 January 1974 the cut-off date for the acceptance of the court's jurisdiction, thus excluding stale claims. The effect is that jurisdiction is not accepted in respect of disputes which arose before 1 January 1974. The second is to broaden the scope of the previous Commonwealth exception, so that jurisdiction is not accepted in respect of any dispute with the Government of any other country which is or has been a Member of the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth exception is of long standing and is retained by a number of Commonwealth countries.
	Though these changes are of general application, their immediate significance is that they prevent any Commonwealth country from circumventing the present limitations by withdrawing from the Commonwealth and then instituting proceedings against the United Kingdom in respect of an existing dispute. The Government have acted to prevent such a move as we believe it is against the spirit of the existing Commonwealth exception.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Trade and Investment White Paper

Patricia Hewitt: I am today publishing the White Paper on trade and investment, entitled "Making Globalisation a Force for Good".
	This White Paper is being published at a pivotal moment in the history of the international trade agenda. The European Union and the new European Commissioners taking up their posts this autumn will have a vital role in ensuring the benefits of globalisation are delivered in Europe and beyond, notably through the completion of the WTO Doha development agenda.
	The White Paper presents a positive vision of globalisation and Britain's approach to trade and the WTO negotiations, to achieving our objectives of boosting prosperity at home and fighting poverty overseas. It explains how countries benefit as much, if not more, from opening their own markets as from persuading others to open theirs.
	The White Paper therefore presents a series of challenges to the European Union. In order to thrive in a globalising world, the EU has to redouble its efforts to improve its own competitiveness. At the same time, it needs to look outwards, placing new policies and regulations in a global context. The EU, together with other developed countries, has to reject the mercantilist approach to trade that prizes only exports and inward investment as opposed to international trade and investment as a whole.
	Specifically, it must tackle the continued harmful effects of the common agricultural policy. The EU and other developed countries should commit to eliminate export subsidies, to make further reductions in trade-distorting domestic support and to reduce agricultural tariff peaks towards the maximum levels allowed for non-agricultural products.
	The White Paper describes the changing nature of international trade and investment. International trade is moving away from traditional patterns of imports and exports towards a world of global partnerships and joint ventures. Government services to UK companies have to respond to this. I announced in this House on 1 July the new arrangements that we are setting in place for the Export Credits Guarantee Department. The White Paper also sets out the role of UK Trade and Investment—the Government's lead national provider of international trade and investment support for business.
	The White Paper sets out how we think international trade and investment can and should work to reduce poverty in the poorest countries. The need to reduce poverty—working towards the millennium development goals—is a key challenge for this Government.
	To fight poverty, the EU and other developed countries must tackle the barriers—both tariffs and non-tariff barriers such as excessively burdensome technical regulations—that currently prevent poor countries from selling to us.
	The evidence shows that those developing countries who have been more successful in fighting poverty tend to be those who have opened their own markets to international trade. But we have learned that developing countries need to open their markets in a properly sequenced way as part of a broader plan for their economic development and poverty reduction.
	In order to benefit from international trade and investment, the poorest countries need to put in place a full range of complementary policies. We need to work with these countries to help them tackle the key challenges: health, education, the transport and communications infrastructure, good governance and effective social protection.
	This White Paper has been produced following widespread consultation with interested parties in the UK. We are grateful to everyone who has helped us and we look forward to continuing a dialogue on these issues.
	In the meantime, I look forward to working with ministerial colleagues in other countries—both inside and outside the EU—to win the argument against protectionism and mercantilism in international trade. We will take the opportunity of the UK Presidencies of the EU and of the G8 next year to take this forward.
	I am confident that this White Paper will contribute to pursuing the UK's objectives in the area of international trade and investment.